The Golden Sands of Time
by koilove
Summary: After solving the Sennen Puzzle Yuugi is cast away to ancient Egypt. Almost isntantly, he meets the Pharaoh Atemu. In the beginning, everything seemed to be going perfect. All that changes when a dark figure; known as Thief King Bakura; shows up and wants nothing more than to get his hands on the Puzzle.
1. Chapter 1

_This is my first fanfiction, so please don't be too harsh in reviews. _

_As you can tell, this is alternate universe. If you don't like those kinds of stories, don't read this. _

_Chapter warning(s) – none_

_Welcome to my first story; read and enjoy!  
_

* * *

The Golden Sands of Time

_Chapter one – Starting Point  
_

* * *

"Okay, class, settle down!" Nasaki-sensei instructs right after the bell sounded. When no sounds ring throughout the room, the history teacher continues. "I have something that will hopefully interest you all - a field trip. Next Monday, we'll be going to the museum. Make sure you have either a parents or guardian sign this sheet. It is due by this Friday."

At the sudden news, the room fills with noise once more.

"Did you hear that? A field trip! A whole day without being in school!" one boy exclaims with a wide grin.

"And it's one to the museum! I heard they've got a new exhibit on ancient Egypt! It's sounds so interesting!" a girl squeals with sparkling eyes.

The chatter continues but goes ignored by Motou Yuugi. It was as if the noise wasn't there and he was back at home. As the field trip sheets were passed out, his fingers ran over the golden pieces scattered about his desk. They belonged to the Sennen Puzzle; his most treasured possession.

It was a gift from his Jii-chan; a souvenir from an archaeological dig. When the golden pieces were brought home, Jii-chan tried putting them together but gave up after minutes. He then handed it over to Yuugi; telling his grandson that he won't be able to solve it; no one had ever did it before.

After months of trying, he was a little more than halfway done. The hieroglyphs engraved became a little clearer. They said something about "unburied pasts" and "great darkness." When he showed Jii-chan the markings, he didn't believe them. He claimed they were myths and nothing was going to happen; they were just bedtime stories to scare someone.

Despite what Jii-chan says, Yuugi has hope that the puzzle will be solved by him; that only he will know what the Puzzle will bring.

Someone tapping his shoulder got Yuugi's attention. When he turns around, he is greeted by the smiling face of his best and only friend; Mazaki Anzu. She is the only one to not to bully him; she even threatens those who pick on him. Despite her appearance, she is a tough girl who will punch anyone down if they hurt her friends.

"Hey, Yuugi," she greets with a smile. "Excited about the field trip? I know how you're interested in Egypt and everything." She takes a quick glance over at the Puzzle's scattered pieces on her friend's desk.

The smaller boy nods, a bright smile on his face. "What about you, Anzu? Are you excited?"

"Sort of," she answers quietly. Yuugi gives her a confused look and she chuckles slightly. "Between you and me, mummies freak me out. That's one thing I don't want to see; mummies." She shivers at the thought.

"But they're just dead people!" Yuugi exclaims. "They won't bite you or anything. Mummies are how people of ancient Egypt buried their dead. They wrapped them in cloth to preserve their bodies. There's nothing to be scared about."

Anzu lets out a laugh. "You sure do know a lot about Egypt, Yuugi," she tells him.

"That's because my Jii-chan's an Egyptologist. He studies ancient Egypt and goes on digs in Egypt's deserts. He teaches me a lot about what he learns and sometimes brings me with to Egypt."

"That sounds cool. But no matter what you say, I will never like mummies!"

* * *

"A field trip?" Jii-chan reads over the slip hands to him by Yuugi.

The boy nods. "It's to the museum. There's an exhibit on ancient Egypt and I want to teach Anzu more about it. She seems interested in learning. Can I go?"

There is silence for a while as Jii-chan rereads the note. "Yes, you can go. But remember to stay with the group; I don't want to hear about you and Anzu wandering off."

"I won't. Promise."

As Jii-chan signs the permission form, Yuugi's thoughts go to the Sennen Puzzle. Maybe he will find out more about the ancient artifact on the field trip? Its past; what its secrets are. But at that very moment, he had no idea that one trip to the museum will change his life forever.

* * *

_Sorry it's short. Next chapter will hopefully be longer. _

_Till next time,_

_Koixoxoxo_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks to those who reviewed chapter one! I'm glad I managed to catch your interest! I hope you enjoy chapter two just as well!_

_Oh, here's my disclaimer - I own nothing here besides the plot and a few minor OCs. _

_Chapter warning(s) - none  
_

* * *

The Golden Sands of Time

_Chapter two – Gone Away  
_

* * *

"Are you sure this is okay?" Anzu looks over her shoulder for the third time, looking worried. "Because Nasaki-sensei specifically said not to leave her sight."

"Don't worry, Anzu," Yuugi reassures her. "They're just around the corner. We'll hear her if she calls." He knows he isn't doing anything against Jii-chan's wishes; he said not to wander off and to not get lost. The class is not far behind them; they aren't lost.

They walk through a door and into an empty room. All around, golden statues sit in steely silences as jeweled eyes stare ahead. "All these statues are giving me the creeps," Anzu mutters as she shivers and rubs her arms "I didn't think these things were so... _creepy!_"

"They're just statues, Anzu," Yuugi reminds her. "Nothing to be scared of."

"I know, but..." She shakes her head, looking away from the statues' stares. "Why are we over here, anyways?" The brown-haired girl shivers more as they walk past a mummy sleeping eternally inside its glass burrier.

They stop before a shiny, golden plaque. Anzu's blue eyes glaze over the artifact, catching the ancient writing knows as hieroglyphs. The pictures make no sense to her; they're all one jumbled-up mess of ancient drawings. She can't help but wonder why they are here.

"It says here; _swept into sands of gold_..." Anzu turns her head to see Yuugi running a finger along the carved-out plaque. She blinks and wonders how on Earth someone from modern-aged Japan can read ancient writings.

"How...?" She doesn't finish her sentence; only stares in confusion as her friend pulls out a chest from his schoolbag. She notices it has the same type of writing carved into it.

"The writing on this chest is the same as it is on this plaque. When I was young, Jii-chan taught me to read Egyptian hieroglyphs. Now, I can read them just as good as Japanese." Anzu just stares questionably at him, them blinks her eyes.

"So that's how you can read that..." Blue eyes watch Yuugi carefully as he sits down on a nearby bench. She stays standing up, her eyes darting from her friend to the golden plaque.

"I have this feeling," he states, "that I'll solve this today." A piece clicks into the puzzle that is more than halfway complete.

"... Are you sure?" Anzu doesn't say anything but something about the room gives off a sort of... magical feeling. In a creepy sort of way.

"Positive," her friend answers simply. A few more clicks emit from the puzzle.

_It feels like... something's going to happen. Another piece easily clicks into place. Like each piece that goes in is a warning drum..._ Click, click. Yuugi looks up to see Anzu glancing about the room with eyes that are gleaming with curiosity. Another drumbeat; click. The Puzzle is slowly making progress.

_This place is giving me the creeps! Big time! It's as if these mummies and statues will come to life and jump out at me..._ Anzu shivers at the mere thought._ Why couldn't we have stayed back with the group; where we were supposed to be? Man; we're going to get into so much trouble! I don't want to sit through detention!_

It's almost done... The last and final piece; the _Eye of Horus; _clicks in.

"Anzu!"

Said girl breaks from her thoughts to look at her friend. Yuugi's sitting there, a bright smile on his face, eyes sparkling and holding up a finished triangle-shaped Puzzle. Wait... Finished?

"It's... finished," Anzu breathes unbelievably. Wait, wasn't something supposed to happen..? Golden sands or something? Whatever that means…

They stay in silence, staring in awe at the complete Puzzle. After so many years of working on this, after so many people attempting and failing... it is complete. It is a breath-taking sight, if Anzu ever saw one.

Suddenly, breaking the moment, a white light flashes from the Puzzle. Anzu blinks, questioning if she is seeing things. But, moments later, another light flashes. It grows bigger and bigger. Anzu shields her eyes and calls out her friend's name. There is no response.

The light is gone; that's the first thing Anzu notices. Dead silence fills the room and she blinks a few times. It takes her a few seconds to find that she is the only one standing in the room. Fear strikes through her as the realization finally hits.

Yuugi is gone.

* * *

Here's the suspense! What's going to happen next? Where's Yuugi? Find out in chapter three!

Till next time,

Koixoxoxo


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks to the reviewers again! It means a lot to hear what you think about my first story!_

_Chapter warnings(s) - none_

* * *

The Golden Sands of Time

_Chapter three - An Egyptian Welcome  
_

* * *

The first thing Yuugi notices when he wakes from unconsciousness is the heat. Being from a city as big and bustling as Domino, he isn't used to such warm temperatures. When it got hot during summertime, Jii-chan would turn on the air conditioner to cool the place down.

This heat isn't anything like normal summertime temperatures in Japan, though. It seems much warmer; almost roasting. That's when he decides to open his eyes.

He blinks, wondering if he's imagining the sight before him. All around, as far as he can see, golden sand dunes sweep across the land. The sky above is clear and bright with a boiling sun burning the land below. Scattered about the rolling dunes lie palm trees; an area that is for hiding away from the heat.

He wonders if this is a dream; something he'll surely wake up from. When his fingers slide over something beside him, he knows this is no dream.

The Sennen Puzzle sits at his side in the sand and he gazes down at it. This is something he had worked years to complete. So many people before him had tried and failed. But now it's here, right next to him, complete. He blinks as realization slowly hits him. Did the Puzzle bring him here? He knows this land is Egypt, but is it modern or ancient? Why did the Puzzle bring him here in the first place?

There are so many unanswered questions that will not be answered by just sitting here.

Yuugi pushes himself upwards, grabbing the Puzzle as he does so. Something stops him in his process, though, and he glances up to meet a tanned-skin, black-haired man.

"Where do you think you're going?" the man asks in a rough voice. He doesn't remove his staff from Yuugi's forehead.

Yuugi freezes. The man stares at him with dark, unkind eyes. Yuugi stares up at him in silence, having no clue who the man is or how to respond.

"Can't talk?" The man doesn't move from his place as a smirk lingers on his face. "Well, it looks like I'll have to see what Pharaoh will do with you..."

The staff man yanks a speechless Yuugi from the sandy floor to his feet. "You will come with me and be cooperative."

Pharaoh? It's ancient Egypt, then. But why did the Puzzle send him here? What is its motive?

* * *

The palace is huge. Made of shining gold, it is almost like an ancient skyscraper. As the staff man leads him into the golden palace, Yuugi stares in awe at his surroundings. He read a lot about ancient Egypt but never expected to be here; nevr in a million years.

"Stay here; do not move. I'll have to see what Pharaoh wants to do with wanderers like you."

The man is gone; walking off down a long, dark hallway. It is eerie and silent but Yuugi stays put; waiting for the man to come back. He holds the Puzzle close to his chest; feeling, somehow, unafraid. He knows he should be fearful; being in a different land in an ancient time; but he doesn't feel scared; only confused and slightly curious.

Footsteps come from the dark hallway; the same one staff man had gone through. He hears voices; the man's and someone else's.

"I found him near the palace, Your Highness. He will not speak so I have found nothing about him."

No sound came from the second person. The staff man comes from the shadows, a scowl on his face. "Your Highness...? What shall we do with him?"

Slowly, the second figure approaches from the darkness and Yuugi instantly freezes in his spot.

The King of Egypt stands in his spot, staring at the boy in front of him. He cannot believe his eyes and they have seen many unbelievable things. The boy must not be from around here; that is his first thought. His clothes are so strange and his skin so pale. The boy's hair is so similar to his and, oh, his eyes...

"By Ra..." he mutters disbelievingly. He stands still in his place; afraid that, if he moved, the boy will vanish. Reluctantly, he takes crimson eyes away from the boy to glance at his guard. "Nakhti, where did you say he was found?"

Guard Nakhti winces at the harshness in his King's voice. All his life he has served this man, yet he can't ever get used to that voice. "Near the palace, Your Highness." Nakhti amazes himself at the steadiness in his voice.

The King gazes at the boy, wanting to ask so many questions; questions he can ask only when he and the boy are alone. "Show him to my room, Guard. Leave as soon as you bring him there. I will arrive as soon as I can." And, with one final look at those curious violet eyes, the King turns around on his heels to walk back into the darkness.

Silence passes through for a moment before Guard Nakhti speaks. His voice is low and a growling sound is noticeable. "I didn't know Pharaoh was picking favorites; especially to an oddly-dressed wanderer like you." He huffs his breath out before motioning Yuugi to follow. "Come with me, runt; King's orders."

Yuugi, so many thoughts wandering through his mind, follows. He takes slow, almost careful steps. He keeps the Puzzle close to his chest, his fingers clenching around cold gold. In front of him, he hears Nakhti growl at his slowness but ignores it. The only thing - person - on his mind that moment is the King of Egypt.

* * *

Oh, look! Yuugi meets the King of Egypt - Atemu! :D I hope I wrote their meeting well. How was it? Tell me your thoughts!

Till next time,

Koixoxoxo


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